Matching a charitable cause with your cleaning franchise business

In the June 2010 edition of
Franchising World, the Molly Maid President wrote the following article on getting involved
in a charitable cause.

Since 1996, Molly Maid has taken on the cause, nationally, of domestic-violence
awareness. Our company has raised over $810,000 to date, and has supported
more than 100 local domestic-violence shelters. Each year, more and more
Molly Maid franchise owners participate in a month-long “Ms. Molly
Making a Difference” drive. The 2009 fundraiser recorded a 20-percent
increase in franchisee participation. In addition to raising much-needed
funds for shelters and victims, educating customers and the public about
domestic violence is one of our top priorities through this effort. This
cause fits our business model since we go into thousands of homes every
day, which is where domestic violence often occurs.

If there’s one way to rally a franchise system, it’s by finding
a common cause. The secret to that great initiative might seem daunting,
but if the company’s leader can identify that magic cause, it has
the potential to become a huge benefit that not only builds positive brand
image, but rallies customers, franchisees and employees alike.

In today’s economy, not only do potential franchise candidates want
to invest in a business with community ties already built in, but customers
are choosing to spend their money with companies that are giving back
in some way.

How to Find the Cause?

Figuring out something that the customer, as well as your franchisees and
employees, can relate to is the most important step. Making sure that
customers are “on board” with your cause only helps to further
the message. Customers who feel a connection to your charitable efforts
are then more likely to help spread the word among their family and friends.

Make sure the cause is something that will differ between different cities,
so that the franchisee can choose to build their own local relationships
and figure out how to best serve their specific community. Taking a system-wide
survey during a franchise convention might be a good place to start gathering
this data.

Keeping the Franchise System Engaged, Excited

A good idea is only as great as the people who are tasked with its accomplishment.
Once you decide on a national and local cause to support financially,
keeping franchisees active and excited can be a challenge. Promoting those
within who are excelling is something that should be done to increase
participation.

Here are a few other tips:

Recognition: Establish an award at the national franchise convention that spotlights
the one franchisee who has made a difference in terms of the charitable
partnership.

Franchisee Involvement: Form a committee or board of directors for the cause. Include not only
corporate staff, but franchisees who can share their success stories.
Including franchisees on these governing bodies will likely increase participation.

PR Power: Use public relations to your advantage. Work with your PR firm or communications
department to promote what you’ve been able to accomplish. Seeing
the company’s name in national headlines is sure to spark more interest
from the franchise system.

What’s in it for us?

With massive layoffs and unemployment rates at an all-time high, social
entrepreneurship is more important than ever. Potential franchise candidates
are looking not only for a new business, but also a way to give back to
their communities. Among a sea of franchise concepts, having a charity
program in place helps you stand out. Franchisors with a national plan
for giving back are providing franchisees a step-by-step instruction guide
on how to raise money, awareness and credibility for local organizations
of their choice. Customers also feel more comfortable spending their money
with a business they know is doing something for the greater good of the
community.

While any media attention or additional profits are certainly benefits
of starting a program to nationally support a cause, it’s important
to remember how this idea first came about. Molly Maid gives back to domestic
violence victims because these crimes take place in the home. This is
a natural fit for us, since we talk to people in their homes every day
and our franchisees, employees and customers can all relate to someone
who has dealt with domestic violence. It’s a cause dear to our hearts
and that compassion continues to grow. Once you take on a cause for the
right reason, everything else will eventually fall into place.

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This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation
of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only.
Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises:
California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota,
New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia,
Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of or want to locate
a franchise in one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise
unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration
and disclosure requirements in your state.

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